Support Meadowsweet's Herbal Healing Mission

Kelly Needs is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Calling all Angels, Allies and Supporters of Plants, Herbalism and Healing

Dear Community of Missoula and Beyond,

Meadowsweet is turning 28 years this year! This is a monumental achievement for any business and one that many people should be proud of. What started as a small family business created by John & Elaine has remained a small family business and has survived through the last 28 years through the amazing support that our herbal loving community has provided throughout the years.

Meadowsweet has always been a place of sharing knowledge about healing and herbs. We provide a service that is very unique: free herbal knowledge. There is no financial fee to visit and chat with qualified herbalists. We help everyone, regardless of income or background. We find solutions to fit the budget and never push or sell our customers on gimmicks or items you don’t need. We are a community center for DIY customers, practitioners, folks new to natural healing and seasoned believers in herbal medicine.

As I look at the next 28 years of this business, or even the next year, I am daunted by a couple of indisputable facts. While the business receives so much support from the community, the costs of operating this business have grown exponentially. COVID, with its shut-downs and change in buying-habits took a very serious toll as we committed to stay open to serve our community in the scary twilight of disease. The debt that I took on to keep my employees working through 25-21% less business during 2020 & 2021 has come to hamper our ability to function.

Our beloved employees, trained in herbalism and so willing to serve our community, deserve better wages that match the changing economy and inflation going on in the nation. I want to provide meaningful work and training for herbalists along with the means to earn a sustainable income. It is unfortunate to have the desire to heal your community but not have the opportunities that other industries have. We have tried to over-deliver on service at Meadowsweet and I can confidently say that we have. We receive almost daily thanks from customers who have been helped in meaningful ways by our staff. We have done this in service to our community, because we believe in a health care system that is not driven by money alone.

As the most recent of owner of Meadowsweet (since December of 2018) and a past employee of Meadowsweet, I sincerely believe in this store's mission. So much so that I have tirelessly worked the past 5 years without pay. This Go Fund Me is about our employees and the help needed to continue to provide this crucial setting for our staff and for our community.

Proceeds: any donations-from tiny to Angel sized- will go towards increasing staff wages & related staffing/operating costs.

I ask, so ever humbly, that if you have ever benefited from this freely given herbal help at our wonderful store, please consider donating. I deeply love this herbal community and this amazing store. I know it is important that it continue and want to find different ways to share some of the enormous burden that I and my family have been carrying.

If you are someone who doesn’t have extra money lying around, I totally get it. Other ways you can help us out are shopping on our website for Meadowsweet-made products (we employ herbalists to create these products!), asking your local business to carry our products in-store, or leaving us a Google review and leaving a testimony about any positive experiences you have had in-store. (please leave out any specific references to diseases out of the review for the FDA’s sake)

Cheers to the next 28 years of serving our community!!

Sincerely,

Kelly Needs